


Now Or Never

by SurprisedMe



Category: High School Musical (Movies)
Genre: Because let's face it Teens swear, Can't Spit It Out, F/M, Falling In Love, Mild Language, Multi, Novelization, One True Pairing, Romance, Stupidity, Teenage Drama
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-15
Updated: 2020-08-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:34:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25582180
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SurprisedMe/pseuds/SurprisedMe
Summary: “The Wildcat superstar's afraid?” she asked, eyebrow raised as slight tease in her voice.“No! I'm not afraid. I’m just..."afraid“scared.”OrA Novelization of one of my favorite scenes from The Movie.
Relationships: Troy Bolton/Gabriella Montez
Kudos: 10





	Now Or Never

**Author's Note:**

> I read the book versions published by Disney and honestly they weren't...good. So, I decided to just do it myself.
> 
> If I get enough positive feedback I'll do the whole movie start to finish.

Class went by in its usual droll, except with the added challenge of not turning around and staring at Gabriella every few seconds. For once, I wish I had taken Chad’s original idea of sitting in back. Then I could stare all I want and getting caught would be much harder.

I guess it was a good thing I didn’t have all my classes with Gabriella though. I didn’t catch a word Mrs. Darbus said all period. How I was gonna pass Lit. was beyond me.

Three hours later Chad caught up to me just after Calc.

“What's up, man.” he said.

“What's up.”

“The team's hitting the gym during free period, What should we run?”

 _Oh damn!_ I’d forgotten about that. Making free periods extra practices was my idea.

“Um, y’know what, dude, I can't make it.”

_Quick Troy, think of something…_

“I, uh, I gotta catch up on some homework.”

_Homework? Seriously?_

“What?” Chad asked, incredulous. “Hello, it's only the second day back. I'm not even behind on homework yet. And y’know I've been behind on homework since preschool.”

I forced a laugh.

“That's hilarious. I'll catch you later.”

 _Well…_ I thought as I walked away.

_That wasn’t exactly the most convincing the performance of my life._

Chad was about as likely to have bought that load as he was to show up to school in a tutu.

I took a discreet look over my shoulder and…yep.

There was his distinctively fluffy head only a few yards back.

I looked around for something to distract him.

Thankfully I was just passing a classroom and I saw Tom, on of my guys, sitting on a desk chatting up some girls.

I ducked in and walked up to him.

“Hey Tom. Ladies.”

“Hey captain.” Tom said.

I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw Chad pressed up against the door way in what he clearly thought was a sneaky manner.

Figures. He’d always wanted to be a spy, but he was terrible at it. Finesse just wasn’t his thing.

“Just letting you know, I can’t make it to free period practice. I got some work I gotta do.”

Just then Drew, another guy on the team, had come up to Chad and I grabbed my chance.

“Catch ya later.” I said and took off for the other door out of the classroom.

I’m sure Tom was pretty confused, but I’d worry about that later.

I ducked back out into the hall and hid in a small crowd of students heading down the hall. Drew was nowhere in sight, but Chad was still at the doorway, his head poked fully inside probably looking for me.

I grinned to myself and stepped as quietly as I could towards the back stairs.

Down two flights and out the back door.

I heard the “clap-clap” sound of the back door to the gym open and took up a casual pose, leaning up against the wall. Thankfully, it was just the school secretary. Not a woman known for asking too many questions.

Once she’d passed I sneaked from the wall and over to the next corner, checking if the coast was clear ‘round the other side.

Then the “clap-clap” of the gym door came again and…

_Oh Fuck!_

My Dad was coming out the door now.

I pulled myself around the corner as quick as I could and held myself flat against it.

Thankfully there was an open door just a few yards down and I moved for it, ducking into what turned out to be the shop class’ garage for their AP program.

So much was going on I easily lost myself behind the various heavy tool shelves and flashy light of students wielding big drills.

I looked back and didn’t see my Dad’s face looking in after me. I let out a sigh of relief as I located the door back into the school.

My bad luck struck again though in the form of one of the shop teachers being bent over a workbench right next to the door. And I didn’t seem him until I’d already run past.

“Short-cut.” I said, lamely as he looked at me with one eyebrow raised. “Late for class.”

That was about as sad as my homework story to Chad earlier. Thankfully, I’d never had much to do with the shop teacher so he didn’t call me on it as I dashed down the hall.

Not that I ever had much reason to visit, but after three years in this school I did remember that the shop garage was in the arts wing of the school, which meant the theater had to be around here somewhere.

Finally I found it, it being a little black sign pointing down an empty hall with “Backstage” written in block letters. I’d almost started down it when something stuck me.

If Troy Bolton, basketball superstar, walked into the theater on Auditions day everyone would know about it before lunch.

I looked around wildly for some kind of idea, hoping one would jump out of a locker and bite me I guess.

I was actually surprised when one did in the form of an abandoned janitors cart.

Nobody notices janitors. As long as I didn’t call attention to myself I’d be practically invisible.

So, not wanting to think any harder about this than I had to, I gabbed the cart and wheeled it down the hall, careful to keep the head of the floor mop in front of my face.

I needn’t have worried about spectators though. This wing of backstage was pretty much empty. Except for the Camel prop I remembered from detention and used as more cover as I looked out into the theater.

It looked like I’d gotten there just in time. The whole drama club, Mrs. Darbus in the lead with Sharpay and a short girl in a purple jacket and a brown almost-baseball cap who looked vaguely familiar. Seeing them coming my way, I quickly hid behind my cart again and wheeled it back outside, running up and around to the theater door alcove as fast as I could.

I got there just in nick of time.

Mrs. Darbus spread her arms wide and started on one of her famous speeches.

“This is where the true expression of the artist is realized. Where inner truth is revealed through the actor's journey...”

And of course that was the exact moment Dad picked to call me. And I hadn’t thought to put my phone on vibrate.

Mrs. Darbus’ face went from serine to furious.

“Was that a cell phone?!” she thundered. Everyone looked around for the culprit. I pushed myself deeper into the alcove wall, flipping my phone open and shut again as quickly as I could.

“No, ma'am.” the girl next to her said “That was the warning bell.”

“Ah!” she said, much more calmly.

I had to stifle a relieved sigh and gave fervent thanks I’d picked that bell for my Dad’s ringtone. The thought of what Mrs. Darbus would do to the poor soul who got caught letting a cell phone ring in _her_ theater...

“Those wishing to audition,” she continued, “must understand that time is of the essence. We have many roles to cast and final callbacks will be next week.

“First, you will sing a few bars and I will give you a sense of whether or not the theater is your calling. Better to hear it from me now than from your friends later.”

I felt an internal shudder at the thought of what my friends might have to say about me on stage.

“Our composer, Kelsey Nielson,” she indicated the girl who’d inadvertently covered for me, “will accompany you and be available for rehearsals prior to callbacks.”

“Shall we?”

Watching did not help.

At all.

Ms. Darbus was tough in Home Room, but here she as brutal. Reasonably polite most of the time, but still brutal.

“Next!” she’d say at the top of her voice and off the unfortunate soul would go.

To be fair, a lot of the aspirants weren’t…what was the word?

… _good_.

The worst came when a pair of students decided to accompany their singing with some form of interpretive dance.

“Well, that was just...”Mrs. Darbus struggled for word for a moment before just giving up, “very disturbing! Go see a counselor!”

“Hey.” a sweet voice whispered in my ear.

I jumped and nearly fell into the empty trash bag attached to the cart.

I looked up and into a pair of the prettiest brown eyes ever.

“So you decided to sign up for something?” Gabriella asked, drifting away from my cart and into the other side of the alcove.

“Uh...No.” I said, at a loss for words. “You?”

“No.” She shook her head.

“Um...why are you hiding behind a mop?”

I looked away.

It was a fair question but the answer… I didn’t want to sound like a coward.

She seemed to puzzle it out on her own though.

“Your friends don't know you're here, right?” 

“Right.” I said. She was smiling but it felt like I was letting her down.

It was a feeling I was getting a lot around her.

Darbus’ next victim was on stage and even from back here I could see she was terrified.

“Thank you. Next!”

The girl ran off, plainly scared to death.

“Miss Darbus is a little...harsh.”

“The Wildcat superstar's afraid?” she asked, eyebrow raised as slight tease in her voice.

“No! I'm not afraid. I’m just...

_afraid_

“scared.”

That was lame.

“Me too” she said in a rush “...usually.”

I really wanted to hold her hand.

Wow! Since when was I this clingy?

Then again, since when did I want to try out for a musical?

“And for the lead roles of Minnie and Arnold we only have one couple signed up.” Ms Darbus said. Gabriella, grabbed the cart and now we were both hiding behind the mop. “Sharpay and Ryan, I think it might be useful for you to give us a sense of why we gather in this hallowed hall.”

At a nudge from Gabriella we both moved to actual seats in the back most row, ducking our heads down below the back of the chairs in front of us.

Sharpay, done up in her usual flashy, sparkly style, snapped her fingers and the curtains closed on her and her brother.

I was confused for a moment, but then the music started and I got even more confused when I saw Kelsey wasn’t playing.

Then the curtains few dramatically open again and they started to sing.

 _🎶_ _It's hard to believe that I couldn't see_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _You were always there beside me_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _Thought I was alone with no one to hold_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _But you were always right beside me_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _This feeling's like no other_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _I want you to know_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _That I've never had someone_ _t_ _hat knows me like you do_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _The way you do_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _I've never had someone_ _a_ _s good for me as you_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _No one like you_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _So lonely before_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _I finally found_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _What I've been looking for_ _🎶_

Sharpay was stuck-up, selfish and mean usually, and Ryan…

Well, honestly I barely knew the guy. I couldn’t really think of anything negative about him except that he put up with Sharpay.

But they were both good.

Intimidatingly good.

Like, “we clearly don’t need you here. we’re better than you will ever be” good.

The theater already had its’ people. And I should probably just get back to the gym.

Sharpay started tapdancing for no apparent reason other than to show off while Ryan held her microphone (bedazzled of course). I looked at Gabriella. She tried to smile, but it came out more of a grimace. Like she was just as intimidated as me.

Then she grabbed my hand.

She wasn’t pulling or gesturing or doing anything with it.

She was just holding my hand to hold it.

And I was trying very, very hard not to cheer at the top of my lungs ‘cause, honestly, it felt like I won some kind of award.

_Good God what is wrong with me?!_

_…_

_…_

_…_

_But She’s Holding My HAND!_

Ms Darbus and the other theater people broke into applause and I was suddenly brought back to reality.

_Right…Music…Showoffs Performing_

“Well... ” called Mrs. Darbus to the theater at large. Gabriella and I both jump and lower our heads to keep hidden. “Are there any last-minute sign-ups?

 _Oh God_ I though. _It’s now or never. Am I actually going to do this? Could I? Could we?_

…

_no_

Gabriella and I got to our feet, still crouching low and holding hands (and I was trying really hard not to get caught up in that again) and moving back towards the door alcove before anyone could spot us.

“ _If_ , we do the part?”

A familiar and unpleasant voice drew my attention away from our escape and back to the stage, Gabriella stopping alongside me.

Kelsey was talking to Sharpay. Or, more accurately, Kelsey had been talking and Sharpay was staring at her like the girl had just insulted her mother.

“Kelsey, my sawed-off Sondheim, I’ve been in 17 school productions. How many of your compositions have been selected?”

I couldn’t hear Kelsey’s response, but the lack of volume in her voice told me everything I needed to know about her self-confidence in the face of Sharpay in full Diva mode. Honestly, I completely got it.

“Which tells us what?” Sharpay had started backing Kelsey back towards the Piano. Again Kelsey was too quiet for me to hear.

“It tells us that you do not offer direction, suggestion or commentary! And you should be thankful that me and Ryan can lift your music out of its obscurity. Are we clear?!”

“Yes, ma'am, I mean, Sharpay.” Kelsey had backed up clear to her Piano bench and it looked like she’d fallen back onto it.

Sharpay gave one of her signature sharp, saccharine smiles and flounced away off stage collecting her brother with her.

“Any last-minute sign-ups?” Ms. Darbus called again.

“We should go.” I whispered to Gabriella. Whatever burst of confidence had actually brought me here was gone and I just wanted to get out of there before I humiliated myself.

“No?”

“Good.”

“Done.”

Darbus switched off her little pixar lamp and grabbed her bag from the seat she’d put it in.

It was over.

They Gabriella was rushing past me and into the open aisle.

“I'd like to audition, Miss Darbus.” She said said.

_What is she doing!_

I wanted to grab her hand and start pulling my hair out all at the same time and I made a couple of abortive hand gestures towards those effects, all of which probably looked absolutely ridiculous to anyone watching.

“Timeliness means something in the world of theater, young lady.” Darbus said, looking down mercilessly at Gabriella. “The individual auditions are long, long over and there are simply no other pairs.”

“I'll sing with her.”

Who said that?

Wait. _I_ said that!

 _I_ was actually walking down the aisle, my hand raised in the air so it was beyond clear to anyone watching Troy Bolton was the one doing this.

Clearly I’d lost my mind.

“Troy Bolton?” Ms. Darbus sounded about as shocked as I felt. “Where is your sports posse or whatever it's called?”

“Team.” I said, briefly shuddering again at the thought of them being here to witness this. “But I’m here alone. Actually, I'm here to sing with her.” I finished lamely.

Darbus was not impressed

“Yes, well, we take these shows very seriously here at East High. I called for the pairs audition, and you didn't respond. Free period is now over.”

Mrs. Darbus walked down the row of seats, past us and up the aisle.

“She has an amazing voice.” I said.

“Perhaps the next musicale.”

And then she was gone.

Gabriella looked at me, disappointment in her eyes. This wasn’t fair. She’d been so brave stepping forward like that. Way braver than me. She should have at least gotten a chance.

“Woah!”

I turned towards the stage just in time to see Kelsey finish tripping on the leg of her piano bench and fall flat on her face, her papers scattering everywhere.

My heart clenched in sympathy. The poor girl was having an even worse day than we were. First having to deal with Sharpay getting the top spot in her show, then getting chewed out by said diva and now this.

Nobody should have to go through all that in one day.

I was actually on the stage before I realized Gabriella’d had the same idea as me. She was right there next to me, helping to pick up the sheet music and handing it back to the unfortunate musician.

Kelsey didn’t look hurt but she did look shocked to see me. She was looking at me like I was some kind of terrifying and couldn’t believe I would actually do something nice.

“So, you're a composer?” I asked, trying to get her at least somewhat at ease.

She nodded, looking about a scared as the girl who’d ran off the stage without getting a note out earlier.

“You wrote the song Ryan and Sharpay just sang?”

Another nod, taking back the papers me and Gabriella had just picked up for her.

“And the entire show?”

Nod again.

“Wow, that's really cool.” and it was. I could barely get up the courage to show up to an audition and then not audition. Writing and submitting actual music…

“I can't wait to hear the rest of the show.”

I stuck out my free hand and helped her get to her feet.

I figured, if I couldn’t try out for it, I could at least come to the show. If that “What I’ve Been Looking For” song was anything to judge by, the music would be great. Even if those two were the ones singing it.

Thinking of whom, somebody should stop them from stepping on this poor girl’s ego any more. She was good and she should know it. And somebody needed to deflate Sharpay’s head.

“So, why are you so afraid of Ryan and Sharpay?” I asked “I mean, it _is_ your show.”

“It is?” she asked, looking genuinely confused.

I grinned. “Isn't the composer of a show kind of like the playmaker in basketball?” I asked.

“Playmaker?”

 _Oh right. Not everybody in the world knows sports_.

I thought quickly for an explanation that made sense.

“The one who makes everyone else look good.” It was a bit more complicated than that, but essentially true. “I mean, without you there is no show. You're the playmaker here, Kelsey.”

She blushed.

“I am?”

Yeah, she was.

“Do you wanna hear how the duet's supposed to sound?” she asked excitedly. And, seeming to take my silence as a yes, turned back to the piano, setting some of her papers back on the little stand.

I wasn’t entirely sure what just happened, but Gabriella had somehow gotten hold of my eyes with hers again, and she was tugging me gently towards the piano too with that adorable smile shining at me.

And I was getting more than little addicted to the way she kept doing that.

I did my usual thing of trying to seem as casual as possible, leaning on arm across the piano across the top of the thing instead of where I really wanted it, around Gabriella’s shoulders or waist.

Too familiar though. We’d known eachother for less than two weeks.

But she was smiling at me again...

Kelsi started playing again, the same tune I’d heard her playing all day. She nodded her head at me to give me my que and I just started to sing.

 _🎶_ _It's hard to believe that I couldn't see_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _You were always there beside me_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _Thought I was alone with no one to hold_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _But you were always right beside me_ _🎶_

Gabriella seemed to have left her reservations about singing behind at that alcove. She joined in on her part without any of the internal difficulties I was having.

Then we both sang together, and the theater and the piano just faded into the background.

And we were flying.

 _🎶_ _This feeling's like no other_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _I want you to know_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _That I've never had someone_ _t_ _hat knows me like you do_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _The way you do_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _And I've never had someone as good for me as you_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _No one like you_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _So lonely before_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _I finally found_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _What I've been looking for_ _🎶_

 _🎶_ _Ooh-ooh-ooh_ _🎶_

_There it is again._

_That feeling._

_I mean, the lyrics and the slow tune, this was supposed to be a love song, right? And singing with Gabriella again…_

“Wow.” I said. “That was nice.”

Nice didn't begin to cover it.

“Bolton! Montez!” A voice boomed from the back of the theater. “You have a callback.”

We both jumped and turned and saw Ms. Darbus was standing there, in the doorway. I wasn’t sure how long she’d been there, but she was looking right at us on the stage.

Had she heard us singing?

“Kelsey, give them the duet from the second act. Work on it with them.”

Kelsi pushed a packet of papers into my numb hands.

“If you guys wanna rehearse, I'm usually here during free period and after school, and even sometimes during biology class. You can come and rehearse anytime. Or come to my house for breakfast, I have a piano, we can rehearse there. After school, before school – whatever. works, After basketball class...”

My brain was still processing what just happened as Kelsey’s happy rambling became background noise. I looked down at the musical notation on the pages and I flipped a page or two just to make sure I really was seeing what I thought I was.

Then I looked up and around, hoping somebody, anybody, was going to explain to me what everyone was talking about.

“What?”

_What just happened?_

* * *

The halls of East High were usually relatively peaceful in the early mornings. People were usually too drowsy from waking up at six to do anything too energetic.

This particular day though though, that peace was broken by a horrified shriek nobody’d had the misfortune of hearing in over a decade.

**“Callback?!”**

The single word exclamation, and the accompanying scream of horror, was heard by every single person on or near school grounds.

“Callback for roles Arnold and Minnie next Thursday, 3:30pm” Ryan read the page aloud, his voice still at a reasonable level. “Ryan and Sharpay Evans. Gabriella Montez and Troy Bolton.”


End file.
